7.13.2012

the rest of the summer was the best we ever had

We have been trying to survive this Florida summer, constantly checking the thermostat and letting Ethan play in the bathroom sink just to cool down quicker after even the shortest trip outside. It has been a busy summer filled with birthday parties and doctor visits and playdates indoors where the heat can't reach us. It's been wonderful, this summer, despite the sweat and flushed cheeks and apathy that the heat brings with it. We've been busy, filling each day to the brim with friends and loved ones and laughter and any bit of anything that we can to avoid stepping foot outdoors.

Today Ethan and I went on a frozen yogurt date where we shared strawberry and vanilla frozen yogurt topped with organic blueberries and organic strawberries. This wasn't in the original plan. The original plan had us running errands and going grocery shopping and doing things that required several trips in and out of the car to accomplish. After our very first errand, I looked at Ethan's flushed cheeks and the mirages dancing on the brutally hot asphalt of the parking lot. That was it. We were making time for frozen yogurt.

From there, our errands continued. Ethan whined from the backseat. I didn't blame him. There is nothing about the sticky Florida heat that lends itself to grocery shopping. I turned around and we made a quick stop to grandma and grandpa's house to jump in their pool. No bathing suits? No problem. The water was cool and welcoming. Ethan squealed with delight until he had the hiccups as he splashed around in his diaper, putting his lips in the cool water to try his luck at blowing bubbles. (He must have swallowed a gallon of water trying to blow bubbles.)

It's the little things, the sound of Ethan's laughter while he splashes around in the water, the way he splashes back at me for trying to wet his hair. It's the sheer awesomeness of the age he's at now -- and I know I say that at just about every phase he's at -- and the way he sees the world around him. It's the way he stops splashing to watch a hawk circle overhead before pointing at it and asking "dat?" It's his curiosity and creativity that make these days so full and wonderful. The way you're not just a couple of idiots laughing and splashing around in a pool in your underwear, but you're uncovering just what magic an average hot, sticky summer day can hold.

6 comments:

We are right there with ya mama, just trying to survive the summer heat and humid of the SouthEast. It's not an easy thing with a toddler that's for sure! As for this being a fun age? It really is! Exhausting but amazing. I love that Ethan is walking around saying "dat." Jackson's go-to is "dis" Too cute!